Bills introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives could outlaw the use of sexual content to blackmail someone.
Extortion is already illegal in Michigan. But package supporters say prosecutors are currently limited to a piecemeal approach when trying to press charges in these “sextortion” cases.
Representative John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) said his legislation would make it easier to hold people accountable.
“This is about revenge porn. This is about forcing someone to do something against their will. Because of images that they may have disseminated without understanding that this would be used against them. That’s what’s happening to the young people,” Fitzgerald said.
Supporters of the package are pointing to the case of an Upper Peninsula teen who died by suicide after becoming a target as a reason for tightening Michigan’s laws.
The package would set a five-year prison sentence for a first-time offense. It would be 20 years if the victim is a minor.
Fitzgerald said it’s about more than preventing the abuse of children.
“We are absolutely stiffening penalties if this is done to someone under the age of 18. But this is for anyone. That if anyone of any age in Michigan is being extorted, we can actually now bring forward a very stiff penalty that if this is even done one time, it is a five-year felony,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald says the bills are inspired, in part, by legislation in Ohio and Georgia.
He and another package co-sponsor, Rep. Jenn Hill (D-Marquette) are highlighting another piece of the legislation that would require schools to send educational materials about the issue home to students and families.
Hill said it’s a matter of adapting to changes in social media.
“With children who have grown up digital natives, the idea of sharing your images online is totally natural. And now we need to ask them to think about boundaries or what’s appropriate or inappropriate,” Hill said.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security say they’ve received thousands of tips involving sextortion cases in recent years.
